Ernest Bryant "Crutch" Crutchfield (February 5, 1937 – August 21, 2022),[3] was an American executive. He was perhaps best known for his invention of the "Trapper Keeper", a type of loose-leaf ring binder geared to students.[2][4]
Life and career
Crutchfield was born in Greenville, Alabama, the son of Belle Griggers and Ralph Crutchfield, both workers at a cotton mill.[2] He attended Auburn University, where he earned his degree in 1960; he was the first person in his family to attend college.[2] Crutchfield moved to Atlanta, where he worked for the stationery manufacturer Montag, which was later bought by Mead.[2]
In 1971, Crutchfield participated in the development of the ABCtelevision specialGood Vibrations from Central Park, which featured the Beach Boys and Carly Simon, but also included pitches for Mead's product line, in a bid to get students to start thinking about school and school supplies. He also earned in-house awards for his product developments[2]
Crutchfield had begun to evolve his loose-leaf ring binder "Trapper Keeper" in the 1970s, but took his time bringing it to market.[4][5] It was officially released nationwide in 1981 by Mead. The company estimated that by the end of the 1980s, half of American middle and high schoolers owned one.[2]
